A worthy volunteer month highlight! William Kicklighter’s Community Service-learning Project. William is a Beef Builders 4-H Club member, a prospective Eagle Scout recipient, and an aspirant to the University of Florida College of Engineering. As a member of the UF/IFAS Extension 4-H Youth Development team, we all love to see when 4-Her’s “Interest or Spark.” has generated an “Idea” that becomes a “Project” and a part of a more extensive “Program.” Of course, this would not happen without a youth-adult partnership. In William’s (AKA – Will) case, it’s that youth-adult collaboration between him and his parents, Mark and Faith Kicklighter. We highlighted Will’s Eagle Scout Project in our 4-H Summer Spotlight (Quarterly Newsletter), where he adapted the St. Lucie County 4-H Farm to improve the Pollinator Garden and the Demonstration Garden.
On March 9, 2024, we saw this plan coming to fruition. Community donors included East Coast Lumber, Lowes, and Big Apple Pizza. Those who helped with planning or installation components included 4-H Agent John Ferguson, Jeff Dotzel, Rick Jensen, Candy Wickham, Terri Zuidema, Boy Scout Troop 473, Eric Hunsberger, and Mark Kicklighter. Thanks especially to Will’s parents, his 4-H volunteer leaders, and Scout Master/ Leader for making this a reality. We look forward to Will attaining his Eagle Scout Award and helping him celebrate this honorable and highly coveted rank in the Scouting Association. This 4-H Community Service-learning Project was the highlight of the April 2024 St. Lucie County Spotlight.
A community service-learning project (such as this) is an opportunity for 4-Hers to achieve the standard of excellence and gain 4-H Life Skills, including but not limited to civic engagement & leadership, personal development, and career exploration. 4-Hers need to know that an opportunity to apply for a Community Pride Service-Learning Grant is available to all 4-H age groups. According to the Florida 4-H website: Community Pride – Florida 4-H – University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences – UF/IFAS (ufl.edu), Community Pride is a service-learning program that supports 4-H members and clubs across the state in giving back to their communities.
Please enjoy this video and the Facebook images of the resulting project completion. Contact the St. Lucie County 4-H team to identify more 4-H Community Service-Learning projects with an opportunity to apply for a Community Pride Grant.
Contact: the 4-H Extension Agent @ john.ferguso@ufl.edu, 4-H Program Specialist: Candace Wickham @ wickham.c@ufl.edu, Terri Zuidema @ tzuidema1@ufl.edu, or Wren Underwood @ e.underwood1@ufl.edu.
Prepared by John Ferguson (4-H Extension Agent), with support from Terri Zuidema (4-H Program Specialist).
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